Dictionary of Terms

This dictionary is for commonly used words in a shiur that is mostly in English but includes a handful of Yeshivish, Yiddish, Hebrew, and Aramaic.

Commonly used Yeshivish/Yiddish Words

avada

of course

ayid

a Jew

azoy

really, so-so (sometimes a question)

bissel

a little

chashivus

immense

chaval al deovdin

we are saddened by the loss of a person/work

eppes

a little

farfaln

hopeless, irretrievable

farlozich

rely upon, rely on

ginoy

sure (derived from genau, German meaning exactly)

gishmak

delicious

grada

certainly, as a matter of fact

kol tov

all the best

lemaysa

in reality, practically speaking

lichoira

theoretically

mamesh

actually, actual, in actuality

maskim

agreed

punkt

precisely, exactly, so happens to be

punkt farr kert

just the opposite

shprach

enhancement

shtoch

affront (usually used to describe when one opinion proved the other wrong)

shtup

stuff in (usually used to describe when an explanation that doesn't fit the words)

shver

difficult

taka

really, (usually used as a confirmation of fact, but sometimes used in question form)

teitch

translate

vayter

continue, let's move on

verlassen sich

leave one, rely on

zach

something (usually used to describe something popular)

zayn

to be

zicher

for sure

Commonly Used Hebrew Words

al kol ponim

either way, from all perspectives

lehavdil, lehavdil elef alfey havdalot

to distinguish (usually used to say that this concept is very different)

lehavdil bein hachayim vehachayim

to distinguish between the living and those who have passed

pashut

obvious

peshat

simple explanation

Commonly Used Aramaic Words

aderaba

the opposite is true

kal vechomer

fortiori, if the greater nuance is true certainly the lesser one is as well

kol sheken

fortiori, if the greater nuance is true certainly the lesser one is as well

mee heychi teytee

from where do you know that? (usually used as a negation of a conjecture)

pshita

obvious (usually used as a question)